Workers believe IT systems ‘not effective enough’ for their needs

Survey finds 53 per cent of workers do not feel that IT systems are keeping up with their needs

While IT systems are at the centre of operations for many businesses, it appears that companies could be failing to update their capabilities in line with the needs of their employees.

According to a survey conducted by Hornbill, 53 per cent of workers believe that the IT infrastructure at their firm is not sufficient in terms of enabling them to perform their duties as effectively and efficiently as possible, meaning more could be done to provide them with the necessary support.

Patrick Bolger, Hornbill’s chief evangelist, said: "What this largely highlights is that IT groups are not speaking to their customers enough.

"IT is really getting a bit of a hard time because of all this consumerisation and the ease at which people believe they can do stuff now."

Indeed, with the study revealing that 40 per cent of employees have decided – without permission – to use their personal devices for working purposes, it seems that businesses are failing to keep their IT capabilities in line with those enjoyed by consumers on gadgets such as smartphones and tablets.

So as workforces in Britain deal with the lack of adequate IT systems in the office by taking matters into their own hands, the risk is that the company’s security is put at risk as a result of staff handling sensitive information on their own devices.

And if the appropriate data protection programs have not been put in place to provide the remote backup service used for file storage with the necessary levels of defence, there is a threat that confidential documents could be left exposed.

However, as the Bring Your Own Device trend continues to develop, companies which couple the practice with appropriate security measures may be able to find a quicker, more cost effective solution to any issues with their dated IT systems.